Writing an Effective Résumé

[Pages:14]Writing an Effective R?sum?

Workshop Materials ? Handouts ? Participant Activities

The Federal Government is making it quicker and easier to connect the best candidates with Federal jobs. You will be able to apply to almost any Federal job with a r?sum? and an optional cover letter. This workshop will cover best practices for writing an effective r?sum? that highlights your strengths and accomplishments.

Course Objectives

During this workshop, you will: Learn tips to market yourself Understand what information to include on your r?sum? Understand best practices for describing your experience Learn how to communicate veteran-specific information on your r?sum?

R?sum? Content

It is best practice to break r?sum?s down into major sections, outlining job information, personal information, education, experience, and other qualifications. Job Opportunity Announcements may specify information that must be included on your r?sum?. Using the R?sum? Builder tool in USAJOBS? helps ensure that you include this essential information.

Job Information ? Announcement Number, series, grade

Personal Information ? Full Name ? Mailing Address ? Email and Phone ? Citizenship ? Military Status*

Education ? Degrees, Major/Minor ? Graduation/Anticipated Graduation Date ? GPA

*Optional/Recommended

Work Experience ? Job Title, Duties, Accomplishments ? Employer's name and address ? Supervisor's name and phone number ? Starting and ending dates ? Hours per week ? Salary/Grade Level/Rank*

Skills and Volunteer Work ? Related knowledge, skills, attributes, certifications, volunteer work, publications*

Imagine that you are a hiring manager. What information on this r?sum? might be useful? Why? What would help you decide whether to hire this candidate?

Applicant M. Powers 14 Sunshine Blvd Springfield, MO 12345 (H)111-111-1111 A.M.Powers@

Announcement #PH47213, Program Manager, GS-301-9

Citizenship: United States of America Veterans Preference: TP Federal Status: Program Analyst, GS-343-7, Full Performance Potential GS-12

Summary

Over 1 year of Program Analyst experience Specific experience analyzing survey and financial data

Experience

U.S. Office of Personnel Management H.R. Solutions 1900 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20415 Please do not contact current supervisor: John Miller

Program Analyst, GS-343-7 January 2009 -Present 40 Hours/Week $50,000/Year

Project Analysis and Coordination Analyzed program accomplishments of the National Cyber Scholarship Program. Assisted with drafting the evaluation briefing and co-presented recommendations to approximately 40 high-level agency officials. Coordinated the receipt and oversaw processing for over 15,000 grant applications. Exceeded processing deadlines by 18%.

Data Management Developed an office tracking system for managing an increased number of audit report requirements. The new system improved workflow, file management, and communication methods. Resulted in meeting reporting deadlines for the first time in 5 years. Collected and maintained program financial, evaluation, and outcome data for over 30 projects operating within the organization. Analyzed data quarterly and briefed organization leadership.

WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS

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U.S. Army Department of Defense 12 Private Drive, Fort Hood, TX 73153 May Contact Supervisor: Mary Maddin, Phone 523-157-4326

Unit Supply Specialist December 2002 ? September 2008 40 Hours/Week $22,850/Year

Account Management Managed all financial and budgetary activities to fund operations and maximize investments. Oversaw an annual budget of over $75,000. Established and maintained accounts and records of army supplies worldwide. Performed costbenefit analyses to evaluate outgoing expenses and expected returns. As a result of the cost-benefit analysis, saved over $18,000 in fiscal year 2007.

The Liberty Group

Research Intern

555 Freedom Ponds, New York, NY 53262

June 2001 ? September 2001

May Contact Supervisor: John Smith, Phone: 333-333-3333

20 Hours/Week, $12.50/Hour

Research

Collected and analyzed data related to customer demographics, marking and sales trends, and

consumer preferences.

Wrote technical reports of findings to illustrate data graphically and to provide clear

recommendations to senior staff.

Volunteer Work

Habitat for Humanity

Trainer

Our House Circle, Baltimore, MD 74212

April 2009 - Present

May Contact Coordinator: Martha David, Phone 514-234-2222

5 Hours/Week

Conducted orientation and training sessions for community volunteers.

Developed 8 (30 minute) technical training modules related to time management and project

planning. This local training is now being used across the U.S. as a mandatory training for all Project

Managers.

Education

Arizona State University Phoenix, AZ 85004

Masters of Business Administration (MBA) Anticipated Graduation 6/11 (18 semester hours complete)

New York University New York, NY 45212

Major: Business, Minor: Spanish

GPA: 2.95, Major GPA: 3.0

Graduation: May 2009

Skills

Project Management Professional (PMP) Certified Fluent in Spanish and French, Intermediate in Portuguese Proficient in MS Office Suite

Awards

Who's Who Among College Students Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal

May 2008, May 2009 Honorably Served May 2002 - March 2008

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R?sum? Writing Tips

? This is your best marketing tool, emphasize your strengths. ? Highlight relevant knowledge, skills, and attributes where you may not have directly

relevant experience. ? State the facts. Avoid belief or judgment statements. ? Customize your r?sum? to each job. ? Focus on areas where your previous experience or education overlaps with the

experience or education described in the Job Opportunity Announcement. ? Provide sufficient detail but use concise language. Avoid information that does not

add substance. ? Use headings to guide the reader.

Steps for Writing an Effective R?sum?

1. Understand the Job

Know the job you are applying for. Understand the type of work you would perform, if selected. Understand what hiring managers consider when determining whether candidates are qualified for a job.

Gather job information ? Job Opportunity Announcement ? ? "Duties," "Requirements," and "Qualifications" sections ? Locations, security clearances, physical demands ? Organization's website

Pay Attention to Keywords Before beginning to write a r?sum?, think about which keywords best describe your chosen career field. You could be the most qualified person for the job, but you could be lost in a sea of applicants without the right keywords.

Study Job Opportunity Announcements to determine important keywords. Review several job announcements and their questions for your ideal job. Find knowledge, skills, experience, education and other credentials important in your career field.

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2. Consider your Qualifications

Getting started writing a r?sum? can be challenging. It is common for people to get caught up in r?sum? format before they have really considered the content. One of the first things you should do before you start writing a r?sum? is to think about all of the things that might make you qualified for a job.

Look to Sources ? Former job descriptions ? Supervisory reviews and feedback ? Transcripts ? Course feedback ? Military honors ? Awards and Recognition ? Customer acknowledgements ? Survey results

Think Outside the Box ? Leadership roles in social organizations ? Volunteer experiences ? Projects ? Professional/academic challenges/successes ? Special assignments ? Travel experiences

Your qualifications are evaluated in two primary ways: ? Your previous experience (paid and unpaid) ? Your level of education ? Training

3. Select a R?sum? Format

Chronological R?sum?s show the most recent experience listed first, followed by each previous job. These r?sum?s are best for those job-relevant paid and unpaid experience. Chronological r?sum?s are the most common format and are recommended for most job seekers. The primary disadvantage of the chronological r?sum? is it may highlight gaps in employment history or frequent job change. See pages 2-3 for an example of a chronological r?sum?.

Functional R?sum?s are organized by skills and accomplishments across all experiences. These r?sum?s are best for those new to the workforce, with no professional or related internship experience. This format could be problematic because it could potentially hide important qualifying information.

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4. Create the Basic Outline and Write Job and Personal Information

Create a r?sum? template so you have a general idea about the organization and visual presentation. Write the Job Information section and Personal Information section, including information described on page 1.

5. Write your Experience

The experience section should demonstrate the quality of your experience, the complexity of work you performed, how independently you worked, the extent your experience is related to the target job, and any outcomes, awards and recognition you received.

The goal is to write your experience as clearly and simply as possible. Make it easy to understand exactly what you did. Focus on quality and substantive content, rather than length. Below are some best practices and pitfalls to avoid when writing your experience.

Best Practice ? Use outline with headings ? Show specialization ? Include accomplishments ? Highlight special projects ? Use plain language ? Focus on quality

Pitfall ? Text block with semicolons ? Generic task list ? Too short/too long ? Acronyms ? Complex sentence structure ? Focus on quantity

Writing your experience can be a little challenging. Break it down into simple steps. Think in terms of outlining your major work activities and then get more specific. The process is broken down into three steps:

Step 1: Outline the major work activities (2-4)

Step 2: Fill in tasks and skills associated with each work activity to show what you did, keeping it simple and to the point.

Step 3: Integrate accomplishments to show results ? Who was impacted as a result? ? How significant was the impact? ? What were the cost savings? ? Did you exceed deadlines? ? Did you receive awards or recognition? ? What changed? ? What improved?

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Experience Section Example What are the major work activities? What are the associated tasks and skills? What are the accomplishments and results?

Management and Program Analyst U.S. Office of Personnel Management HR Solutions

GS-7 Jan. 2009-Present Hours/week: 40

Management and Program Analyst, GS-7

Project Analysis and Coordination Analyzed program accomplishments of the National Cyber Scholarship Program. Assisted with drafting the evaluation briefing and co-presented recommendations to approximately 40 high-level agency officials. Coordinated the receipt and oversaw processing for over 15,000 grant applications. Exceeded processing deadlines by 18%.

Data Management Developed an office tracking system for managing an increased number of audit report requirements. The new system improved workflow, file management, and communication methods. Resulted in meeting reporting deadlines for the first time in 5 years. Collected and maintained program financial, evaluation, and outcome data for over 30 projects operating within the organization. Analyzed data quarterly and briefed organization leadership.

_________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

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Your Turn Think about one of your work, military, or volunteer experiences.

1. List 2-4 major work activities.

________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________

2. Pick one of the work activities identified above. Identify 2-3 tasks or skills associated with the work activity.

_________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________

3. Identify accomplishments associated with each work

activity.

_____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________

Who was impacted as a result?

How significant was the impact?

What were the cost savings?

Did you exceed deadlines? Did you receive awards or

recognition? What changed? What improved?

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